Analysis of VOCs Emitted from Small Laundry Facilities: Contributions to Ozone and Secondary Aerosol Formation and Human Risk Assessment

Da-Mee Eun, Yun-Sung Han, Soo-Hyun Park, Hwa-Seong Yoo, Yen Thi-Hoang Le, Sangmin Jeong, Ki-Joon Jeon () and Jong-Sang Youn ()
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Da-Mee Eun: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea
Yun-Sung Han: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea
Soo-Hyun Park: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea
Hwa-Seong Yoo: Lab.SolEmis, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
Yen Thi-Hoang Le: Department of Environmental Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
Sangmin Jeong: Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Ki-Joon Jeon: Department of Environmental Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
Jong-Sang Youn: Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted to the atmosphere form ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) by photochemical reactions. As they contain numerous harmful compounds such as carcinogens, it is necessary to analyze them from a health perspective. Given the petroleum-based organic solvents used during the drying process, large amounts of VOCs are emitted from small laundry facilities. In this study, a laundry facility located in a residential area was selected, while VOCs data emitted during the drying process were collected and analyzed using a thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (TD-GC/MS). We compared the results of the solvent composition, human risk assessment, contribution of photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAP) to evaluate the chemical species. Alkane-based compounds; the main components of petroleum organic solvents, were dominant. The differences in evaporation with respect to the boiling point were also discerned. The POCP contribution exhibited the same trend as the emission concentration ratios for nonane (41%), decane (34%), and undecane (14%). However, the SOAP contribution accounted for o-xylene (28%), decane (27%), undecane (25%), and nonane (9%), thus confirming the high contribution of o-xylene to SOA formation. The risk assessment showed that acrylonitrile, carbon tetrachloride, nitrobenzene, bromodichloromethane, and chloromethane among carcinogenic compounds, and bromomethane, chlorobenzene, o-xylene, and hexachloro-1, 3-butadiene were found to be hazardous, thereby excessing the standard value. Overall these results facilitate the selection and control of highly reactive and harmful VOCs emitted from the dry-cleaning process.

Keywords: volatile organic compound; risk assessment; laundry; indoor air quality; secondary organic aerosol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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